Journey to Scrub Hill
Late last year I had the great privilege of being invited to journey to a very special site of the Butchulla people by one of their current Elders, Richard Gala (Uncle Joe). We were joined by Tash and her father Jon who is himself an Aboriginal Elder and local. A place that was once very active, Scrub Hill hosted corroborees and workshops. Near the area of Urraween, the site of Scrub Hill has a few houses upon entering that has a driveway that forks off towards the back of the property. As we veered off into the unknown, the track steadily got narrower and rougher the further in to the bush we drove, the thicker the bush and longer the grass got, with the track branching off into multiple directions now and then. Safe to say, I was feeling pretty glad to have a 4x4 with scanner and a great guide.
When asking about people’s experiences at Scrub Hill, in particular, after dark there there were strong responses. There were claims of noises like footsteps, voices and scary creature sounds, objects being thrown, and shadow apparitions. Some believe there are one or more Indigenous folk creatures that reside there and will not go there after dark at all.
Upon arriving at the first spot we were at an abandoned but pristine house tucked in behind the main houses but divided by dense bush and lantana. It looked like a perfect location to do an EMF sweep (EMF stands for electro magnetic field which is a type of energy that can be read from detectors such as K2 or Mel Meters). Luckily, it just so happened, I had permission to bring my equipment. In doing my best as to not offend or anger any spirits or creatures with my presence and use of detection gear I was sure to say out loud “I don’t mean any disrespect to any land spirits, Ancestors or other spirits, I’d just like to try to talk”. We did a full sweep with the Rook and K2 detectors, and set up the Rem Pod (the RemPod is another detection device that utilises an antenna to sense energy, it has a 5 light display which lights up and makes noise when triggered). Unfortunately there was no activity there so we moved on to the next spot, the dam.
As we drove to the next location everything started getting darker as the trees began blocking out the moonlight. We approached a dam to our right that was well lit and visible from the track so I asked if this was the dam we were going to and Uncle Joe replied “No the dam we’re going to is a bit further down”. So we kept driving further into the scrub, encountering more forks in the road and side tracks. We came up to a sweeping bend in the track where the road was wider and Joe said “Pull up here”. We got out and walked down a walking track for about 50 meters until we approached the dam to our left. This dam was darker than the first because of the trees. I did an EMF read with the Rook and K2 and when we got to a spot where they both spiked, we decided to sit down and set up the SB7 Spirit Box and audio recorder (the SB7 is an audio device that scans through radio frequencies, creating white noise, which is what spirits can use to speak). Before starting, I repeated what I said at the first location and started asking questions. In response we got a few sounds coming through the white noise but unfortunately nothing that was discernible at the time. While continuing the SB7 session I also decided to set the RemPod up again but at highest sensitivity. Unfortunately, after about half an hour to 45 minutes of nothing we had no choice but to pack up and move on to the next location.
We all got back in the vehicle and turned around and started driving off one of the side tracks that were on the left coming in. And no more than 40 or 45 meters from the track, Uncle Joe pointed to a clearing that was massively overgrown with grass and weeds and said “this is the old corrobboree grounds but it’s too overgrown”, he then said “I have another spot to take you anyway”. So we headed back up towards the first damn and took another side track on the same side as the corrobboree grounds and drove in only about 30 meters before coming to a 6m x 8m pergola area with a sign reading “Bush Tucker Trail” on the front. It was a very surreal feeling being in the middle of the bush, in an overgrown clearing at night, looking at a workshop area of 4 benches that looked like was still in use. I immediately got excited and asked Uncle Joe if we could set up the equipment in there to which he replied “Yes, of course”. So we got out the equipment and walked into the workshop.
The first thing I did, after paying my respects again, was walk to the back of the shelter and turned on the ParaPump and put it down. (the ParaPump is an EMF generator that creates a field, it has been reported to help boost spiritual energy). The pump ran for approximately 20-30mins before getting drained. While the pump ran I did an EMF sweep and found that the table at the front of the shelter, on the right as you walk in, had a lot of energy around it. I then set up the tripod and night-vision camera and started recording. I then turned on the RemPod, cleared it, set it to highest sensitivity again, and placed it on the table. Holding the Rook in my hand, I asked if there was anyone there with us. Before I could finish my sentence, both the Rook and the RemPod started going off. I then asked if they had the ability to set the Rook in my hand off two times and two times only and shortly after it flashed two times. I then created a yes/no answering system with one flash for yes and two flashes for no. When asking questions, Jon asked if the spirit was a particular male person that he knew to which there was an emphatic yes. We then asked if they were female to test the system to which they responded no. I then asked if they wanted their children to know that they have always been around, there was another energetic YES. At this point the RemPod started flashing in ways I had never seen a RemPod flash, and making an unusual sound, this just increased in intensity. Jon then sat down and started talking in the direction of the RemPod and the RemPod would intermittently stop and then go off during pauses in Jon’s speaking. Watching it was just like watching two old mates having a chat and the energy there could be felt by everyone at that point.
After about an hour or so the RemPod was starting to get weaker responses so we decided to pack up and call it a night. When walking out, Tash pointed up to the beams and said “Check this out”. When looking up there were these long wooden staffs that were all painted with different indigenous style artwork. I then asked if these were message sticks to which everyone replied yes. There wasn’t only two or three of them either there was over half a dozen of them there that had been hovering over our heads the whole time. This was just the icing of what was an already amazing cake, Scrub Hill was an extremely special experience that no-one that was there will ever forget. I hope to get the chance to journey back there some time in the future and hopefully try to connect and/or reconnect with whatever is there because I feel like they have some stories to tell.